JP1 Remotes

[vickyg2003]

Oh oh, DH just called me in to the living room to have me read the score off the upper corner of the TV. When I couldn't read it, he said "See! We DO need a bigger TV". So I've lost the battle. I really don't want to do this, as there is nothing, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING wrong with a the 22 year old 25" TV.

So before I go shopping I thought I'd ask you guys for some advice. With the following criteria

This TV will be used 4mos per year.
This will live in a highly corrosive environment. Everything here rusts!
There is a very high amount of light in the room during the daytime (so light in all the rooms, that I can only capture to the widget in the interior bathroom when the sun is up)
We are getting Comcast regular service, and I don't want to upgrade to HD because our association's negotiated contract with Comcast amounts to highway robbery. I know that when we went to the box, the other widescreen tv we had lost all the quality I had come to love. We were getting crisp HD stations, but now we can only get service with a box and everything is less than crisp.
Husband likes sports, I like movies.
I have a vertigo problem, which makes me really sensitive to motion artifacts.
And of course I want lots of discrete functions! No toggling protocol!

I am not worried about initial cost of the item, but I am worried about lifespan in the harsh conditions, viewing quality with standard def Comcast box, motion artifacts.

The TV stand is 36" wide, so that it wil limit the size screen that will fit in the room.

So do I want given these conditions.
Plasma,LCD, LED
Do I want 1028 or 710 (when viewed with a comcast box)
Refresh rate 60hz or 120hz.
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Remember to provide feedback to let us know how the problem was solved and share your upgrades.

Tip: When creating an upgrade, always include ALL functions from the oem remote, even if you never plan on assigning them to a button. Complete function lists makes an upgrade more helpful to others.

[zaphod7501]

[vickyg2003]

[vickyg2003]

This was a good exercise. I found that I could tune in some digital content with the the TV. Beautiful picture, but boy this is going to give me an impossible setup if I want to try to get this to setup using both the converter box and the straight digital signals too.
_________________
Remember to provide feedback to let us know how the problem was solved and share your upgrades.

Tip: When creating an upgrade, always include ALL functions from the oem remote, even if you never plan on assigning them to a button. Complete function lists makes an upgrade more helpful to others.

[zaphod7501]

[vickyg2003]

I do have a DVD/VCR combo unit attache to the digital tv, perhaps a set of AV cables, a splitter and an all/on macro might be just what I need. There are 39 english speaking digital channels coming in, out of a possible 79 that I get from the Thomson box, or the 68 that I get from the Motorola box. Of course this would be complicated for my user's because I'd have to provide a list of digital stations if they want the digital picture. I would like to see the difference between my digital picture and the dumbed down analog in quick succession.

Of course when I go to the newer digital TV, I'll be having additional problems because they seem to all offer scads of hdmi inputs, but only one AV set of inputs. I have lots of AV equipment. DVRs, DVD players.... But this will at least give me an idea of what amount of downgrading will be happening and will determine whether we purchase a new TV or not.
_________________
Remember to provide feedback to let us know how the problem was solved and share your upgrades.

Tip: When creating an upgrade, always include ALL functions from the oem remote, even if you never plan on assigning them to a button. Complete function lists makes an upgrade more helpful to others.

[zaphod7501]

There were several remote controlled A/V (video not coax) switches available - upgrades should still be in the file section for some of them.

I've been pleasantly surprised by the picture quality of the cable boxes. I'd suggest using the box for all SD material (channel numbers will match the cable guide) and the TV for HD - erasing all the SD digital channels, so a channel up/down would run through the few HD channels. (probably only 5 - 10 depending on your market) If your locals have correct PSIP data, they will be identified by their correct broadcast channel numbers on the TV.
_________________
Just call me Zaphod (or Steve) --- I never should have started using numbers in a screen name but I just can't stop now.

[vickyg2003]

[vickyg2003]

[zaphod7501]

They make remote controlled RF/Coax switches. Its just a different device than A/V switches (also called baseband video) People often buy "Video Switches" and discover they are RF/Coax and not Video switches. You just need to be careful when buying to get the one you want.

You could also run the video from the big box into an "agile modulator" which generates a RF channel of your choosing and add it to the ch3 output of the other box to get a coax cable containing ch3 from a DTA and, say ch 125 from the big box. Tuning the small TV to 3 gets the output of the DTA and changing to 125 gets the output of the big box: essentially building your own private cable system containing 2 channels.

They also make inexpensive channel 3 add-ers. http://www.mcmelectronics.com/product/DISTRIBUTED-BY-MCM-SC-3-/33-255 They only work well if you cable system does not contain a channel 3 analog channel. Cable goes in one connection, channel 3 from DTA (small box) goes in the other, the output then contains all the original cable channels with the box added in on channel 3. The TV then has access to all the HD channels (in the clear) with the box output added on 3. (Your mileage may vary)

I think you are talking about slaving the bedroom TV to boxes located in another room ?? Or switching between HD and cable box on a TV without video jacks ? or switching between HD and a box that doesn't have video outputs ?

The toughest part of designing an A/V distribution system is defining very precisely what you want to accomplish ... and then trying to explain that to someone else, sight-unseen. It can get real complicated, real fast.
_________________
Just call me Zaphod (or Steve) --- I never should have started using numbers in a screen name but I just can't stop now.

[The Robman]

[vickyg2003]

[zaphod7501]

[vickyg2003]